"Microtransactions are utterly disgusting": Diablo 4 Fans are furious with in-game purchases as cosmetics cost a fortune

Including microtransactions in games is a common trend that Diablo 4 did not miss the opportunity to hop on. Most fans of the illustrious franchise consider this to be one of the biggest drawbacks of this latest action RPG by Blizzard Entertainment. The game is already pretty expensive, and the added cost of all the cosmetics has just killed the deal for some fans.

Although games have been using this tactic to generate more funds for years now, every now and then, fans have never been a fan of it when overdone. Diablo 4 has turned out to be a similar experience.

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Diablo 4 is the latest victim of backlash from its fans due to its expensive microtransactions

You need to buy platinum coins with real-life money (Image via Sportskeeda, Blizzard Entertainment)

As mentioned earlier, microtransactions have been a widely accepted addition to the gaming niche for many years now. Developers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Activision are some of the best examples of implementing microtransactions at every instance of the game. However, the recent advent of controversies regarding Blizzard Entertainment's inclusion of such methods in this game is justified.

The fourth installment in the highly celebrated Diablo series is not at all cheap, to begin with. The Standard Edition of the game is available on various platforms for $70. The Ultimate Edition costs $30 more than the Standard one.

Hence, the game is not exactly "cheap." The inclusion of highly expensive microtransactions for cosmetics, gear, add-ons, and more that involves an ample amount of real-life money on top of the game's high prices has been a dealbreaker for many fans.

Many players are furious with the ridiculous armor prices, as they are available for as much as $20 in the game shop. The platinum coins that already cost a fortune are needed to buy anything from the Diablo 4 shop. The Truine Apostate armor needs 2500 platinum coins to be purchased.

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Is there any other alternative to this?

However, as mentioned earlier, times have changed, and there seems to be no other alternative to this problem. More and more developers have opted to implement microtransactions in their respective games.

For instance, it would roughly take $400 for someone to buy everything on the Diablo 4 shop. At one point, spending any money on games was considered a laughable option. In 2023, it is just an expected predicament for a new AAA game in the market.

Developers and huge franchises have always used various tactics for maximum revenue generation. To throw some light on this matter, Diablo 4 has generated more than $666 million in just sales— excluding microtransactions, in less than a week.

Now that a week has passed since its release, and if we include then in-game shop purchases, the number should easily be close to $1.5 billion. Hence, it makes complete sense that every franchise would love to resort to such tactics to generate more income.

They will prefer profit margins like that of Diablo 4. It is by far the most successful game of Blizzard Entertainment by a landslide. To prevent any misconceptions, by no means is it a bad game. Rather, it is easily a contender for the Game of the Year 2023.

However, there are still developers, such as FromSoftware, who minimize or omit the use of microtransactions as much as possible in their games for now. Hence, putting out games without microtransactions is still not a dead concept in 2023, and it is very much possible to do so.